Vacuum cleaning device.



J. N. WHITEHOUSE.

VACUUM CLEANING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 18, 1908.

Patented Ja.11.18,1910.

,.roH-N N. wHiTiioUsE, or

NEW YORK, N. Y., s'sieiois 1roV "rin: D'Usfro-MFG. co., A.'

CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

VACUUM CLEANING Dlisvicn.

Specicationf Letteri'atent. tnted J 3,11. 1`8, 1910.

Application med November is, 190s. seria1No. 463,186.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN N. WHITE- HoUsE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Vacuum Cleaning Devices,of which ythe following is a specification. Y

My present invention relates to a vacuum cleaning device adaptedespecially to be of convenient size for hand operation and useful as aIhand device for cleaning purposes in households as well as for suchother uses as removing chalk dust from billiard tables.

The various features of construction and advantages resulting therefromwill `be apparent from an understanding ,of the following specificationin connection with the drawings.

In the drawings, which show Asome of the forms which my improvements maytake,

Figure 1 isia top plan view ofa device complete within my invention,Fig. 2 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale, partly in elevation,of the device of! Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is an underneath plan view looking upat the underside of the mouth-piece of the device of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is asectional view, partly in elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the dustvalve and connected parts shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is a sectional view,partly in elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the piston, air valve anda portion of the piston rod shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 6 is a partial view ofthe handle end of a modified form of vacuum cleaner device, said viewbeing partly inI section and partly in elevation, and the modificationcomprising a change in the form of handle, making the device more,

convenient to hold as well as operate; Fig. 7 is a side elevation,partly in vertical section, of a modified form of mouth-piece, and Fig.8 is a perspective view of the mouthpiece of Fig. 7 on a smaller scale.

Describing now my invention and improvements with particular referenceto the devices of the drawings, and reserving it to the claims to pointout the novel features, I will first refer more particularly to thedevices shown in Figs. \1 to 5 inclusive, wherein the body portion ofthe device comprises two tubular sections 1 and 2, detachably united bya bayonet joint connection. Thus, the body portion is made up of a pumpbarrel or tube 1 and a dust barrel or tube 2,

adaptedto be .separably united by a bayonet Joint connection 3. The fit'between the tubes where one telescopes within the other should be snugto prevent entrance of air. f

It. may be here noted that in the device shown, the dust tube telescopeswithin a collar extension from the pump barrel, the end of which barrelconsequently forms a projecting rim or stop 4 inside the collarextension, said rim having a function hereinafter yset forth.

Mounted on the free end of the dust barrel is a mouth piece, that shownin Figs. 1, 2 and 3 comprising a back 5 from which extend brush bristles6 arranged about its periphery and surrounded by a fiexible wall ofrubber or other analogous material for the purpose, said flexible wallbeing secured air-tight to the back of the mouth-piece and extendingpreferably somewhat below the tips of the bristles. This mouth-piecepermits the cleaner to take up with efficiency the dust and dirtcontained in the area covered or included by the flexible walls. At thesame time, said flexible walls do not interfere with the bearing of theends of the brush bristles on the surface to be cleaned; on thecontrary, the two parts cooperate to Sgive a maximum cleaning eect. Aninspection of Fi 2 shows that the back of the mouth-piece as an openingthrough it which leads on the one side into the hollow of themouth-piece, and on the other into the du'st barrel. Extending from thisopening and carried by the back of the mouth-piece is a dust deliverytube 8 which preferably extends concentrically up through the dustbarrel and has its mouth valve-controlled near the upper end of saiddust barrel. The valve referred to is hereinafter called a dustl valveand comprises a valve member 9 having its seat against the end of thedust delivery tube, said valve having a stem 10 slidably mounted in `aframe 11 secured to the end of the dust delivery tube, said stem havinga projection 12 between which and a portion of the frame is located a`spiral spring 13 giving the stem and valve a normal tendency to seat thevalve across the end of the dust delivery tube. Thus, it will be notedthat the arrangementY of the dust valve is such that suction exerted onthe dust barrel will open the valve, permitting the dust to be deliveredfrom the valve end of the dust delivery tube I externally screw threadedand receiving a seated, preventing the return of dust in tube, extending`ydust barrel, glves ample space* wlthin said pump barrel and has on itsend outside the disk 17 of packing material, said disk havhaving adiameter greater than that of the tubular extension from the pumpbarrel, and

Vinto the dust barrel, whereas when the suction ceases, the valvebecomes automatically backward direction into the dust delivery tube. Itwill be noted that the dust delivery as it does high up into the barreland around the dust delivery tube for the storageof the collected dustand dirt.

' Within the pump barrel Vl is mounted a piston 14 having a piston rod15, which extends slidably through the head of the arrel a handle 16.The piston comprises a ing a central hole through which is receivedthe'end of the piston rod, said rod being pair of collars 18 and 19 oneon either side of the disk of packing material, said disk collars toermit its outside rim to be bent over at rigit angles to be received airtight a ainst the interior of the pum barrel. The plston end of the rodis hol ow and communicates by an opening 20 through the wall of thepiston rod with the interior of the pump .barrel on the side of thepiston which is toward the handle. This opening is controlled by a`valve21 mounted on `a leaf spring 22 seeuredtto the piston rod. A bridge 23on the piston rod straddles over the valve and limits its outward throwaway from the opening which it controls. It will be noted that the airvalve 21 is such that upon the reciprocation of the piston, airisexhausted from the dust barrel into the pump barrel, said air passingthrough the hollow of the piston rod, thence past the air valve 21 intothe handle end of the pump barrel, whence it. escapes through the pistonrod opening in the head of the pump barrel, which for this purpose issufficiently larger in diameter than the piston rod.

Located between the dust barrel and the pump barrel, is a dust filteringdevice 24, which allows the air to pass into the pum barrel but stopsthe passage of dust. Thls device is removably mounted within the end ofthe pump barrel, and in the device shown in Fig. 2, takes the form of aring 24a and a piece of gauze or other suitable material 24b held by thering stretched across the en trance into the pump barrel. Thus, theedges of the gauze are jammed between the outside of the ring and theinterior of the said ring and gauze are inserted in this relation untilthe projecting rim 4 of the pump barrel is reached. When it becomesnecessary to provide the filter device 24 with new gauze, it may bereadily removed from its position shown in Fig. 2 by means as follows.Thus, it will be noted that the piston rod near the handle is providedwith a sliding collar 25 having a set screw 26 adapted to secure thecollar to the piston -rod in any given position of adjustment. Thepiston rod is made of such length that on its full inward stroke thepiston can contact with the filter device and force same outwardlybeyond the end of the pump bar'rel. On the other hand, during the normaloperation of the device for cleaning purposes, this full stroke of thepiston is prevented so that ity does not contact with the filteringvdevice by Aadjusting the collar 25 to a given point on the piston rod,at which the collar contacts with the head of the pump barrel beforethe'piston reaches or can touch the filter device.

l The operation of the devices of Figs. l to 5 will consist in passingthe mouth-piece over the arts to be cleaned and reciprocating the hanle, which for this purpose may be grasped in the right hand, with theleft hand grasping the pump handle. To make this still more convenient,I have devised the modification in Fig. 6, wherein a secondary handle 27is provided, formed on an extension from the bined pump barrel head andhandle being convenlently and preferably made ofwood. This construction1s advantageous especially in large sizes of the cleaner wherein thepump arrel will have a diameter too large, or at any rate, inconvenientto be grasped by the hand.

As the piston 14 reciprocates, it will be noted that on its-outwardstroke, it will exhaust the air in the dust barrel, opening the dustvalve 9 and sucking in dust and air through the dust delivery tube 8into the dust barrel. The solid particles so taken in cannot passbeyond` the filter device 24, but on the contrary remain and collect inthe dust barrel. On the other hand, the air valve 21 will be closed onthis outward stroke and the piston will consequently force the airbefore it outof the handle end of the pump barrel. On the other hand,upon the return or inward stroke of the piston, the dust valve willclose and the air valve will open, there` by preventing, on the onehand, the return of either air or dust Vinto the dust delivery tube, andon the other hand, permitting theV air on the mouth-piece side of thepiston to pass through into the handle side of the pump barrel, whenceit will. be ejected as before by the next outward stroke of the piston.When it is desired to empty the dust barrel of its accumulated contents,it is only necessary to disconnect said barrel from the pump barrel byoperating the bayonet joint. Thus, the operation, cleaning andassembling ofthe device is of the utmost simplicity. Similarly, theremoval and replacing of the filter device is as readily accomplished,as previously explained.

In Figs. 7 and 8, a modified form of mouthpiece is shown, which as aboveis secured to le pump barrel head, said comthe end of the dust barreland has a body por- A of the mouth-piece forward toward the frontA tion.5a with opening extending therethrough and with dust delivery tube 8aleading therefrom up into said dust barrel. The mouthpiece shown inFigs. 7 and 8 has'inclosing sides 28 and a front portion 29 with a rearportion 30 which is flexible and extends from the rear side of the dustopening in the body wall 29, and is separated therefrom by a more orless narrow slit or passageway, through which the dust and dirt enters.This rear portion 30 due to its iexibility and springiness maintainsitself at all times in contact with the surface passed over; This,coupled with the fact that the bottom edge of the front portion 29 willalways -be in close contact with said surface, sinceit forms thesupporting nose upon which the device rests as yit is pushed along,secures at all times an efficient contact, for the working of thedevice, between the edges of the mouthpiece and the surface cleaned, andit will further be noted that the sides 28 coperate in likewise securingthis condition.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A hand operated vacuum cleaning device comprising a dust barrel, asuction pump, bayonet Joint devices detachably connecting said pump tothe upper end of the barrel in air-tight manner, a mouth-.piece on thedust barrel contacting with the surface cleaned, said mouth-pieceVhaving an opening leading into the dust barrel, a dust delivery tubeextending from said opening in the mouth-piece through the interior ofthe dust barrel into its upper end, and there having its mouthcontrolled by a dust valve, said valve opening under suction from thepump and otherwise being normally closed, and a dust filtering Idevicelocated at the unionbctween the dust barrel and the pump.

2. In a vacuum cleaning device, the combination of a dust barrelprovided with a mouthpiece adapted to be moved over the surface to becleaned, an exhaust pump detachably connected with said barrel, anditself being a barrel within which reciprocates a piston and a pistonrod, a filter slidingly fitted in the end of the pump barrel where itadjoins the dust barrel, and an adjustable stop between the piston rodand the ump barrel operating to control the reciprocations of the pistonrod and piston to i prevent contact with thev filter, and beingadjustable to permit the piston to force the filter out of the pump'barrel.

3. In a vacuum cleaning device, the combination of a dust barrelprovided with a suction mouth and pump barrel, connecting devicesbetween said barrels separably connecting them, a filter device at theunion between thecbarrels comprising a ring slidable within the end ofthe pump barrel, having a filter medium stretched across it with itsedges jammed between the outside of the ring and the interior of thepump barrel, a piston rod slidable through the head of the pumpbarrel,.a piston on said rod within the pump barrel, and a slidablecollar with set screw on the piston rod outside of the barrel, saidpiston rod, ing long enough on its inner stroke to push the filterdevice out of the pump barrel, said collar being adjustable into aposition on saidrod to contact with the pum barrel on the inner strokeof the piston rod Ibefore contact with'the filter device during thenormal operation of the vacuum cleaner for cleaning purposes. Y

4. In a vacuum cleaning device, in combination with vacuum producingmeans, a mouth-piece passing over the surface cleaned, said mouth-piecehaving an opening therethrough leading to the vacuum producing means,said mouth-piece having walls surrounding the entrance into said openingand comprising front and rear walls, one of which tends to occupy anormal l position with its contact edge relatively below the Contactedge of the other wall, and being yielding in up and down direction,said walls further comprising walls at the side of the mouth-piececonnecting the aforesaid front and rear walls.

In witness whereof I have signed my name to the foregoing specificationin the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

\ JOHN N. wHiTnHoUsn.

SIMON STEINGUT.

when the collar is loose,'be

